for organic waste there is a shadow of a doubt

The shadow of a doubt for organic waste - Oakville Today
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Every new idea has a shadow zone. Laudable though an organic waste collection may be, it has a downside.

Many landfills with mixed waste capture and use anaerobically produced methane gas. Over the years, a lot of taxpayers' money has been spent, and continues to be spent, by Halton and Oakville Hydro on methane gas recovery. Once you remove, or reduce, the amount of organic (putrescible) waste and stream this separately at additional expense for garden compost, you reduce the methane gas production potential. Long term, landfill sites may become inert. Decomposition will, if any takes place in the absence of organic waste for microorganisms to feed on and produce methane gas, be much slower: they may last forever - blot on the landscape.

Reminds me that many years ago there was a push for homeowners to use treated sewage waste. It was available free if you picked it up.

There were not many takers apart from possible municipal use.

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Pug938 -

Submitted by djbtol on Mon, 2008-04-07 14:57.

you can have my share of the treated sewage waste. I'll just do without.

Regarding the landfill gas, I've been acquainted with one instnace where such fuel was used in a glass melting furnace. In that instance, there was no need to separate any organics, for they would be combusted in the high temperature of the furnace.

djbtol